This book is like a Persian rug: woven in different colours and patterns but still one piece.
As a child, he prefers playing outside instead of reading books, but in his teens, Mauricio Ruiz discovers literature as a window to his imagination. He starts devouring books and learning different languages. “But what do you want to give back to the world?”, his father would ask him. It turns out Mauricio is a storyteller himself, so he starts working as a journalist and as a writer. A few years ago, at Passa Porta Festival, he meets Guatemalan writer Eduardo Halfon and over the years that follow, Mauricio reads all of his books. This summer he wants to share the book ‘Canción’, and what makes it so special, with other readers in Brussels.
by Maren Moreau
What do you like about Eduardo Halfon’s work?
A few years ago, I read his book ‘Monastery’ and I was completely blown away by the story and his way of writing. One of the things that I admire is that he is not afraid to show contradictions in his characters. In ‘Monastery’, the Jewish protagonist is able to be self-critical. The character reflects a lot on the Holocaust and its effects, while also addressing the way in which plenty of Israelis treat Palestinians. In ‘Canción’ you also find this ambiguity. The story links the protagonist Eduardo Halfon, who is participating in a writers’ congress in Japan, to his grandfather, who was kidnapped by the guerrilla movement in Guatemala. His characters have virtues and flaws; they are never black or white, which makes them very human. On top of that, I like the way Halfon writes: his language is not complex; he is not someone who likes to show off.
The language is indeed straightforward, although the structure in ‘Canción’ is quite complex.
Yes, the language is economical and to the point, but the story is fragmented. It is like a Persian rug: woven in different colours and patterns but still one piece. That is also how Halfon writes. He starts creating different extracts and months later, he will see common threads and put them together.
But as a reader you go along with it?
Some readers might get disoriented at first but eventually, everything falls into place. The writer has an interesting vision and there is a beautiful rhythm to his words. He wanted to be a pianist when he was younger and you can feel the musicality, the jazz, the repetition in his sentences.
Eduardo Halfon is a cosmopolitan, as are you. Can you relate to the themes in all of his books?
So far, the protagonist in all his books has been called ‘Eduardo Halfon’. Halfon uses his own experiences and mixes fiction with reality. ‘Canción’ tells the story of his grandfather, whose name was also Eduardo Halfon. The narrator wants to know where he got his name. Identity is an important theme in the book and that is something I can relate to. Even though he was born and raised in Guatemala, he feels a certain ambivalence towards the country. I feel the same way about my homeland, Mexico.
I think it is very brave that Halfon uses his own name for his protagonist. Of course people start confusing the author with the character but that is something he enjoys. I remember when his book ‘Saturn’ was first published; some newspapers suggested he required psychological assistance because the protagonist wanted to kill his father. It only made him want to explore this way of writing even more.
Wow, I have never seen Brussels or Guatemala in that way before.
You’re a writer yourself. How close is your work to your persona?
When I started writing about ten years ago, I wanted to do the opposite: to create characters that were as different from me as possible. As time went by, I discovered the work of amazing writers such as Eduardo Halfon and Annie Ernaux, who were creating novels inspired by their own lives and pulling it off. I thought: “Let me try this as well.” So for a recent novel, I tried to use my own name. I was recalling moments of my life and twisting them with fiction. However, I felt a dissonance. I thought: “You are a cheater, you are not telling the truth.” So I changed the name slightly: from Mauricio to Marcelo, and then I was able to do it. Halfon has been an important teacher for my own writing.
Are you a different reader because you are a writer?
Unfortunately, I now suffer from déformation professionelle. It has become harder for me to simply enjoy a book. After a few pages, I already know if I like it or not. If I sense that the ego of the writer is too present, it puts me off. However, the vision of the author is very important to me. I love it when a book gives you a new perspective. For example, when you think: “Wow, I have never seen Brussels or Guatemala in that way before.”
Do you remember the first time you discovered the pleasure of reading as a child?
You make me feel embarrassed because as a child, I was not a reader at all (laughs). My older brother would come to me with books, saying: “Read this please!”, but I thought: “Leave me alone, I want to play outside.” At the age of 15, I finally discovered the pleasure of reading through some teachers at school. One of the first books that showed me how literature could develop your imagination was ‘Love in the time of cholera’ by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. It opened the screen inside my head. So now I think it’s a pity I didn’t discover it earlier. I just read 'Proust and the Squid', a book about the importance of reading when you are still young and how dramatically it changes the brain. Even when you cannot read yet but your parents read books to you, you start making connections and you get acquainted with words and stories.
In which language do you prefer to read?
I mainly read in Spanish, English, and French. I like the rhythm of English with its short syllables and I like the musicality of Spanish. They are both rich languages with lots of synonyms. In Latin America we inherited the language from Spain but we have also incorporated words from pre-Hispanic cultures. For instance in Mexico, we have incorporated words from Nahuatl, the language of the Aztecs. Halfon uses typical Guatemalan Spanish in his books, which broadens the pallet and gives colour to the classic Spanish. Did you know that every country has a different version of Halfon's books? He gives his translators and publishers a lot of freedom and because his work is very fragmented, sometimes they choose the extracts they like and different parts go in different books. This means the version in French is not the same as the one in German. He likes this idea that the experience is different for every reader. For me it was a bit confusing at first because I read his books in different languages.
Why is ‘Canción’ the perfect summer book?
Because it makes you travel. Not only to different places like Japan, Guatemala and the Middle East but also in time. And because of the fragmented storytelling, you want to know how everything will come together. It makes you wonder. ‘Canción’ is by far not a thriller, but Halfon plays with suspense so much that you really will want to turn the page.
Nederlandstalige samenvatting:
Mauricio ziet literatuur als een venster naar zijn verbeelding. Hij is zelf journalist en schrijver en ontmoette de Guatemalteekse schrijver Eduardo Halfon enkele jaren geleden op het Passa Porta Festival, waarna hij al zijn boeken las. Mauricio houdt van zijn manier van vertellen en van het feit dat hij niet bang is om tegenstrijdigheden in zijn personages te tonen. ‘Deuntje’ is het perfecte zomerboek omdat het je doet reizen. Niet alleen naar verschillende plaatsen, maar ook in de tijd. Het is een echte pageturner.
Lees het volledige Nederlandstalige interview
Mauricio tipt: